


Stay with us?

by Taarbas



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Canon Divergence, Cuddling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Angst, pretty sure 3 seekers and a shuttle cant all fit on one berth but shhh theyll make it work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 10:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8441596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taarbas/pseuds/Taarbas
Summary: After fleeing the Deceptions, allying with M.E.C.H, and losing his T-Cog, it could be said Starscream's luck in life had all but run out. Now starving and lost, the seeker finally has to admit to himself that he's screwed up, and will mostly likely pay for his mistake with his life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> First bit of fic for my first nanowrimo! Instead of doing one big 50k thing I'm doing a few smaller things that will ultimately end up being 50K (hopefully). Baby steps and all. Hope you enjoy!

_ Maybe leaving the Decepticons wasn’t my smartest idea _ . The thought came before he could stop it, and with a hiss, Starscream grit his denta and beat it back. Staggering deeper into the woods, he cursed M.E.C.H and Silas under his breath, wishing slow and painful deaths on each and every one of them. It was bad enough he didn’t have a faction, now he had no way of defending himself. If Soundwave or Airachnid or Megatron found him… Shaking his helm, Starscream dug his claws into the bark of large tree, using it to steady himself as a warning flashed in front of his optics.  _ Danger: Missing T-Cog. Report to nearest Med-Bay _ . 

     “No, really?!” He snarked to no one in particular, dismissing the message and taking a few steadying vents. His legs trembled, the injuries M.E.C.H left him with and his lack of energon making his helm swim. Alerts poured in, warning him of dangerously low temperatures, failing systems, and sensor nets that were compromised. Dismissing them almost felt like a waste of precious energy, and so with a groan, he continued on his walk, wondering where he was. Since waking up, he felt turned around and lost, and since he couldn’t fly up to get a good vantage point, he had to stay lost. His pede stepped down, the heel sinking and flooding his gears and transformation gears with something wet and cold. Shuddering and cursing, he jerked away, smashing his wing against a tree as he stumbled. Curses poured from his mouth as he froze, holding himself still as his wing trembled and smarted. 

     “Why is it always the wings?!” He sobbed, twisting to reach the damaged one and ignoring the alert that the gears in it were now jammed. Just what he needed, an injured wing. Gripping the edge with one servo and stuffing the knuckles of the other between his denta, he jerked, the gears coming apart with a loud “pop” and a muffled cry from his intake. Alarms went off in his helm, pain shooting through him as his gears were freed and his wing fell limp. It felt heavy and raw, and he cursed, glaring at the tree. If he wasn’t so starved, it wouldn’t have phased him. But he was tired, and hungry, and now he was completely vulnerable. The tree was just the “icing on the cake”, as he had heard humans say. With a sigh, he sank to his knees, letting the pain in his wing subside as he tried to figure out what to do.

     When he first woke up, he had been panicked and disoriented, certain that the Autobots had found him, or worse, Megatron. As he came to, however, he found he was alone and in unspeakable pain. Hissing through his denta, his servos scrambled to the source, down near his hip. The realization had hit him about the same time an alert had popped up, warning him of damages to his abdomen. His T-Cog. M.E.C.H had taken his T-Cog. Then came the anger. He had stood, pain forgotten in favor of blind rage as he swore and paced, trying to figure out what to do. He already had to lay low thanks to abandoning the Decepticons, and if the Autobot medic was anything to go by, he had no chance in joining their ranks. Not to mention he was running on fumes on the best of days. Eventually, he had given up in rationalizing away his current predicament, instead resigning himself to the fact he’d just have to go on foot and pray no one found him. 

     Clearly, it hadn’t been one of his best ideas. Hauling himself back to his pedes, he began his slow trek, dismissing the alert that stated his fuel tanks were at critical levels. He knew it was a waste of energy, the alert would be back soon, but if he didn’t have a constant reminder that he was starving, it made him panic less. The air around him steadily chilled, forcing his already failing frame to fight to keep his temperatures up. Dimly, he wondered if it would snow. He had been on the planet before, and he had seen snow. He liked it, a lot. It may have been freezing, but it was pretty and soft. Not to mention, snow always made him think of Skyf- 

     Shaking his helm, he forced his attention back to more pressing matters. Already he could feel his knees beginning to lock, the joints protesting their continued movement as energon circulation slowed. He didn’t even have the energy to curse, letting his wings fall and bump against his back as he walked. If he just kept moving, he’d be okay, he reasoned. 

     The sound of an engine overhead had him freezing, optics going wide. Panic flooded his systems, optics flaring in fear before he managed to dim them just short of being offlined. No sense in drawing them closer with unneeded light. For once he was thankful he was so starved, his biolights not able to go off and give away his panic or his position. Crouching down, he slipped into the trees, torn between staying put and keeping up his walk. The sound got closer, the whine of the engine loud on his audials. A jet flew overhead, biolights bright. At first he thought it might have been a human, until a second similar one flew after it. His panic edged upwards, building in his intake as a scream.  _ Humans _ , he reasoned,  _ M.E.C.H. testing new equipment, maybe a hobbyist. That’s all it is. That’s all it is. That’s-  _ The jets flew straight up, looping back around to face his direction. They’d seen him. They had to of. 

He ran. Barrelling out of his hiding place, he sprinted through the trees, branches snapping against his plating and tearing gouges in exposed protoform. A particularly high one caught his neck cable, pulling it until it snapped and tore, precious energon leaking down his chest. He didn’t pay it any mind, continuing his mad dash as the engines wound up and shot after him. His pede caught on something, a tree downed in his panic perhaps, and he crashed to the ground, scattering dirt and debris around him. Pain shot through him, and he distantly realized he had managed to land on his own claws. Something blocked out what little light from the moon he could still see, and then his optics began to go, final alerts popping up.  _ Damage to right wing. Missing T-Cog. Fuel Tanks critically low. Temperature rapidly dropping _ . Two sets of pedes touched down in front of him, a servo coming down over his helm. He was too far gone to tell if they tried to hit him or not. 

Starscream found himself waking up in strange surroundings again. Keeping his optics shut, he did a mental check. He was on his back, laying against something smooth and soft. His wings had been carefully positioned so they wouldn’t be crushed, and he could feel a brace on his right. An energon line in his neck was smarting, and it felt like there was a tube in it, possibly a transfer? His legs ached, pedes sore and no doubt damaged. Around him, machines toiled. He could hear their mechanisms, their beeping. He assumed he was in a med-bay of sorts, or worse, a lab. Leave it to M.E.C.H. to come back for him in order to steal even more parts from him. His denta grit of their own accord, and he felt a mask shift, no doubt helping him vent should the need arise. Something clicked on the floor, footsteps?, and he went still, keeping his vents slow and even as someone approached the table. A servo closed over his own, giving it a gentle squeeze before leaving and shifting something over his head. There was a clink of metal and the sound of plastic, and then it was silent. At first, Starscream wondered if the other person had left, until the servo returned, squeezing his. 

“Hey Star,” The voice whispered, clearly choked. “You seem to be doing better. That’s good. ‘M not a doctor, so I can’t say. Sky’s out right now, getting some more energon.” There was a sigh, and then the servo squeezed his again, slipping out of his grip. “We’re worried about you. All of us.” The voice was nagging at him, his spark pulsing in its casing. It was familiar, warm and comforting. It reminded him of something, someone. “Sky” was a common enough nickname, and he wished whoever it was would be more specific. “Wake up soon, okay? We miss you.” The sound of footsteps greeted his ears, growing quieter until he couldn’t hear them no matter how hard he strained his audials. 

Cracking an optic open, he affirmed he was alone before opening them fully, taking in his surroundings. He was in a cave of sorts, the walls smoothed down until they shone like glass. The floor had been given a similar treatment, telling him whoever brought him here had to have been here a long time. Whoever it was, it was definitely another Cybertronian. A human’s hand couldn’t fit in his servo. Machines were clustered around him, monitoring his vitals. More stood along the walls, taking up all but a small space around what had to be a berth. He shifted, realizing that someone had draped a blanket over the top of it. His servos twitched, claws itching to tear the wires and tubes out of him. He knew better, not only would it set off the machines, some of them may very well have been keeping him alive. 

Alerts began to pop up in his feed, and he directed his attention to them.  _ Right Wing compromised. Left Ankle Strut twisted. Pain med will cycle out of system in 2 hours. T-Cog functioning properly. _ He paused, staring at the message. The pain med would explain why he didn’t feel any of his injuries, but a T-Cog? He wondered what his mystery saviors had planned for him. Rolling his shoulders, he flexed his wings, the right not able to be raised much farther than a ninety degree angle. The brace wasn’t top notch, but it was clearly well made, and would definitely serve its purpose. The brace around his ankle seemed about the same level of craftsmanship. 

     He could hear voices in the hallway, heading towards his room. He scrambled, laying back on the slab and forcing his wings flat despite the protests of the right one. Slowly, he began to make out what they were saying. 

     “...critical condition. I’m not sure how much longer it will take for him to wake up, but it should be soon. He’s gonna be okay Sky, stop worrying.” It wasn’t the voice from before, but it elicited the same warm feeling. 

     “I can’t help it!” The voice from before snapped. “We’ve spent ages looking for him, and we finally find him and he’s half dead? Something’s not right.” The pair entered his room, approaching the slab. Starscream strained his audials, trying to pick apart the nagging feeling he knew these two. His helm ached with the effort. 

     “I know you can’t. But still. The riskiest part is over. His T-Cog is fixed, and his energon levels are back up. Now we just have to wait for his frame to play catch up.” 

     “It’s been two days! Back on Cybertron he used to bounce back within a day at most!” A servo brushed Starscream’s arm, fingers pressing into an energon line and feeling for any irregularities in the flow. Satisfied, the servo pulled away.

    “But this is Earth. And I’m not a doctor. We’ll just have to-...his wings moved.” Starscream felt his spark stop, barely stopping his servos from curling into frustrated fists. A servo ghosted over the sore plating, stopping at the brace. “I mean, he always used to move them in recharge, but, do you think he may have woke up? Even for a just a little bit?” They got close to him, close enough for Starscream to feel their ex-vents. Deft servos reached beneath him, manipulating the gears and wires at his back to guide his wing back into place.  

     “But I was just in here. I would’ve seen,” The other voice whined, and Starscream finally realized why they sounded so familiar. Skywarp. 

     His spark surged, barely contained excitement flooding his frame. His trinemate had vanished decades ago, looking for Skyfire. Thundercracker had went with him, despite his protests. He had told them in had been centuries, that the chances of finding Skyfire were slim to none and he should know, he had spent a good portion of his life looking. But Skywarp was stubborn, and tended to ignore logic anyway, and off they went with the promise to be back in a year at most. A year had passed, and turned into two, and Starscream had searched for them. His efforts consistently turning up empty paired with Megatron tightening his leash forced him to give up the search. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognized his voice. It had only been a few decades at most. A part of him wanted to get up, to grab the other seeker and embrace him and ask him if Thundercracker had survived as well. But the second voice made him pause. It wasn’t Thundercracker’s, and from what he remembered, it sounded nothing like Skyfire’s. 

     “He probably wasn’t up for more than a minute or so. Either way, we should let him rest. C’mon Sky.” The pair left, and his spark sank. Just hearing Skywarp’s voice had made him feel a little better about his predicament. Opening his optics, he sat up, examining the wires connected to him. One ran to an energon drip, the bright blue liquid steadily dripping, another to a monitor of sorts. He couldn’t tell what it was, and found himself wishing Knockout was with him. Knockout could have told him, and hell, if Knockout had been with him, maybe the whole ordeal with M.E.C.H hadn’t of happened. Turning so his pedes hung off the edge of the berth, he attempted to put weight on his left ankle. It protested, but held at the initial test, and with a surge of confidence he tried to stand. It held, for about three seconds, and then sharp pain shot through him as it gave out, sending him to his knees with a loud “crack!”. He cursed, rubbing the sore strut as the sound of footsteps made his audials perk up. Another curse left his lips as he moved to stand and resume his “sleep”, when a popping noise sounded behind him. 

     Before he could register what it was, arms were thrown around him with a shout, and he struggled blindly. Just because Skywarp was here didn’t mean he was  _ safe _ after all. “Star! Star it’s me!” Skywarp shouted, nuzzling his helm against Starscream’s. The seeker went still, letting Skywarp sink to the ground with him. “We were so worried!” He whimpered, turning Starscream to face him and fussing over him, checking the wires that connected him to the machines. “Why did you try to get up? You could’ve hurt yourself!” 

     “Skywarp? The frag was-” The pair turned at the voice, Skywarp’s face lit up with excitement. Thundercracker stood in the doorway, wings slowly lowering as he stared in disbelief. “Starscream? You’re…” He stepped forward, almost in a trance, and knelt in front of the pair, servos closing around one of Starscream’s. Thundercracker’s wing trembled as he looked from his servos to Starscream’s face, rarely seen worry etched deep in his face. “We were so worried. We-We weren’t sure if…” He came closer, leaning in to gently press a kiss to the other seeker’s cheek. Skywarp’s servo slipped across his waist, cuddling up to him as Thundercracker rubbed his fingers across Starscream’s servo. 

     “Skywarp, Thundercracker, who was the other person? I heard another voice-” He began, only to trail off as the owner of the third voice finally appeared in the doorway. Skywarp followed his gaze, smiling fondly. 

     “Skyfire. Nice of you to join us. Your patient’s a troublemaker.” Skywarp teased, pulling Starscream closer to him. Thundercracker glared, his grip on Starscream’s servo tightening. Skyfire nodded, approaching them as if in a trance. Slowly, cautiously, he knelt down, much larger servos cupping Starscream’s face and turning it to the side. 

     “It’s been centuries Star. Where ya been?” He whispered, checking the energon feed in his neck. Starscream worked his intake, trying to get words out. His vocalizer felt like it had crashed. 

     “At war. Where were you?” He answered, not trusting himself to say anything past that. It was one thing to lose a trine member for a few decades. It was another to lose a member for a few centuries. 

      “Long story. I was frozen solid back during that storm. Skywarp and Thundercracker found me by chance. They told me you’d been looking for me, but had to stop,” He wouldn’t meet Starscream’s optics, instead focusing on the brace on his ankle. “They told me they had lost you, too. They tried to go back, and found the ship was gone. Eventually they gave up on trying to find the ship, instead flying around in the hopes of coming across someone. Someone took a wrong turn, and they ended up finding me.” He trailed off, servos toying with the strap of the brace. “I’ve missed you. We’ve all missed you.” 

    Starscream nodded, swallowing the lump in his intake. “I’m so sorry,” He tried, but it didn’t sound right. Skyfire shook his helm, muttering not to be as he leaned forward and checked the brace on his wing. 

    “I see you’ve changed your frame-”

     “Again.” Thundercracker added, and Skywarp laughed, stroking his fingers across the dips in Starscream’s helm. Starscream nodded, helm still reeling at the knowledge his trine was  _ alive.  _ Let alone here and touching him. 

     “C’mon. Let’s get you back up on the berth. Honestly Star, would it kill you to leave well enough alone for once in your life?” There was no venom in Skyfire’s words as he shooed the other two seekers, lifting Starscream effortlessly and setting him back on the berth. “Still, why change your frame? You look so fragile.” 

     “I like it!” Starscream huffed, wings stiffening in irritation. Skyfire laughed, pulling the smaller mech into a hug. 

     “I don’t doubt that. It looks nice, don’t worry.” Starscream huffed, wings twitching as Skywarp climbed up onto the berth with him, sidling up next to him as Thundercracker climbed onto the side opposite him. As soon as Skyfire had left him go, Skywarp was cuddling up to him, swinging his legs over his lap and kissing his cheek. Thundercracker grumbled under his breath, settling for looping an arm around Starscream while Skyfire shook his head. “We really should let him rest…” He tried, and Starscream took the opportunity to hook the tips of his claws into Skyfire’s transformation seam, pulling him closer. Leaning forward, he let his helm rest against Skyfire’s abdomen, the purr of his engine soothing. 

    “‘M Sorry,” He whispered after a time, untangling his arm from Skywarp to loop around Skyfire. Thundercracker shifted, tucking himself around Starscream and clearly trying to listen to their hushed conversation. Skyfire’s servo stroked the back of his helm, thumb rubbing the space where metal met cable. 

     “Don’t be. You tried. And if what they’ve told me is true, I’m shocked you were able to try.” His servo tightened minutely, confirming Starscream’s suspicion that Skywarp and Thundercracker had told him about Megatron. “Did you leave them?” He asked, thumb resuming its soothing pattern of stroking across the seam of metal before rubbing against cables. Starscream nodded, twisting his helm so his cheek rested on Skyfire’s warm plating. Skywarp’s grip on him tightened, turning into a reassuring squeeze as Thundercracker nuzzled closer to him. “Good,” Skyfire whispered, finally stepping close enough to loop his arms around Starscream. The seeker returned the gesture, letting his weight rest on Skyfire as the two on either side of him cuddled closer, encasing him in warm metal. 

     “You could stay with us then,” Skyfire said, his voice having gone small and soft. Thundercracker nodded, shifting so he could rest his head between Starscream’s wings. “You wouldn’t have to go back to Megatron. Skyfire’s figured out how to make energon! Right Skyfire?” The scientist nodded, his cooling fans clicking on in embarrassment.

     “Many earth materials can be synthesized into an energon replica. But it’s...well it’s not very good for us. But it keeps you going.” Thundercracker grumbled that it tasted terrible. 

     “Is that how you got my T-Cog?” He asked, and to his surprise Skyfire shook his head.

     “No. We saw it was removed and Skywarp well…”

     “I took the head off a vehicon and stole theirs,” He finished, completely unphased by the act he just described. “They were half dead anyway.” Starscream paused, for once at a loss for words, before attempting to lighten the now much darker mood. 

    “I don’t know any of you aren’t tangled in all these wires,” Starscream muttered. Skywarp snorted, shifting the energon line he had draped over his wing to keep it out of his way. Skyfire laughed, bending at the knee to press a kiss to Starscream’s helm. 

     “Will you stay?” He asked, his frame going still as Starscream hesitated. It would mean giving up everything he had ever worked towards, as well as his place in the war. Even after having left the Decepticons, he still made for a decent double agent, feeding information to the Autobots when he could. It wasn’t a good life, and he loathed it entirely, but it made him feel useful, wanted. He wondered if he could convince them to come with him. Here, he doubted he’d have a use besides being part of their trine, and that was hardly a use. His wings sagged as worry turned over in his helm, spark weighed down with the thought. It didn’t go unnoticed. Almost immediately three sets of optics turned down, barely hidden grief on their faces. Mentally, he cursed. It wasn’t like he  _ wanted _ to leave them, but he wanted revenge. He wanted to be the one to snuff out Megatron’s spark, even if it didn’t mean he’d lead the Decepticons. He wanted to see the light go out of the tyrant’s optics, see his spark give its last few sputtering pulses before fading to nothing. Skywarp shifted against him, pressing his face into his shoulder, and the decision was made for him. 

     “I’ll stay,” He whispered, untangling his arm from around Skyfire to stroke Skywarp’s helm. The seekers head snapped up, optics wide and watery as he stared at him. Thundercracker and Skyfire seemed equally surprised, their own optics gone wide but thankfully dry. 

     “What about Megatron?” Skywarp asked, his wings slowly raising as Starscream shook his head. 

     “I’m going to have to give it up anyway,” He said, even as the words stung and bitterness flooded his systems. “I’m alone, he has an army. And I’m not about to drag any of you into it. How have you even managed to stay out of everything?! Deserters are usually hunted down.” Skywarp grinned, the tears in his optics starting to dry. 

     “We lay low a lot. Living underground helps, and Skyfire has put up technology so our energy signals can’t be read in here. When we’re out and about, we go in pairs or groups. So far, we’ve been okay,” Thundercracker explained, cutting Skywarp off. Skyfire shook his head as the two began to bicker. 

     “I was never a part of the war. I’m safer than all of you. Whenever we have to go somewhere that may be full of activity, me and Skywarp go. They won’t recognize me, and Skywarp can teleport if things get really bad.  _ You _ on the other hand, have made quite the name for yourself,” He scolded with a laugh, “I don’t know how we’ll keep you safe, but we will.” Starscream smiled, spark swelling in its casing. 

     “Thank you Skyfire. For everything,” Skyfire scoffed, waving it away.

     “Not necessary. Not necessary at all. Now all of you move, I’m laying with you.” Skywarp laughed, climbing off the end as Thundercracker stood up and stepped to the side, allowing the larger mech to lay down onto the berth and cradle Starscream on his chest. “It’s really not that good for you,” Skyfire admitted as the other two wriggled under his arms, wings shifting around so no one was hit or crushed, “But I don’t have the heart to make them leave. Or the self control to not join them.” Starscream laughed, melting against the warm chassis. 

     “Yes well, you never did have any self control,” He teased, and Skyfire giggled, settling on the berth with the seekers draped every which way. “Like that one time with the gelled energon and the can of engex-”

    “Don’t you dare!” Skyfire hissed, but it was too late. Like clockwork Skywarp’s head had popped up, already demanding he continue with what had to have been an embarrassing story. Thundercracker was slower to lift his head, but soon he was looking up expectantly at his trinemate, optics bleary with sleep. How he managed to fall asleep so quickly, Starscream would never know and forever envy. 

    “Shall I tell it? Or will you?” Starscream asked, wings fluffing in pride at having gotten the upperhand. Skyfire glared, but it quickly dissolved into a laugh.

“I’m telling it. You’re going to try to rest. Now, it was back when we were studying together on Cybertron…” Starscream smirked, letting his helm rest back on Skyfire’s chassis. He knew his trinemate would leave out most of the details, like how Wheeljack had nearly set the lab on fire trying to make the gelled energon thanks to Skyfire giving him the wrong instructions, but for now he was tired, and Skyfire was warm. He could tell them the full story in the morning. 

 


End file.
